The Surface Layer during Artificial Carious Lesion Formation

This paper gives a detailed description of the development of the surface layer during demineralization of human enamel. Optical inspection of microradiograms of lesions in different stages of development can give the impression that the surface layer increases in thickness with time. Using a more objective method of inspection together with an explicit description, the development of the surface layer was followed with time more quantitatively. This method was based on the changes occurring at the inside of the surface layer. It appeared that the surface layer thickness was constant with time in all lesions investigated. These observations indicate that at constant composition of the buffer solutions, no dissolved material from the body of the lesion is deposited at the inside of the surface layer.